Atlantic Resolve: U.S. Military Drills in Romania Signal Firepower in Europe

F-15s take part in drills over Romania.Carlo Angerer

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Aug. 17, 2017, 9:40 AM GMT / Updated Aug. 17, 2017, 12:26 PM GMT

By Carlo Angerer

CAMPIA TURZII, Romania — Two American F-15 fighter jets roar down the runway, afterburners glowing, for a near vertical lift-off that pierces through an opening in the clouds.

Moments later, two Romanian MiG-21s follow them for a simulated dogfight over the hilly landscape of Transylvania.

Amid ongoing tensions with Russia, this training session in the former Communist corner of Southeast Europe is part of a wider U.S. military program — Operation Atlantic Resolve — that presents a show of force to potential foes.

“Two of those guys versus two of us came to a merge and there was fighting from there,” said Maj. John. M., one of the F-15 pilots. (The U.S. Air Force asks reporters not to publish his full name for security reasons).

With American bases drastically reduced across Europe in recent decades, temporary deployments such as the 159th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron's currently stationing at Campia Turzii, Romania, are a way to show both allies and potential enemies that the U.S. military is still active in the region.

The 159th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron’s roughly 300 airmen and 12 F-15C Eagle fighter jets from the Louisiana and Florida Air National Guards have been running training missions across Europe this summer.

The squadron has taken over part of a hangar at the airfield and set up tents to support the mission, just as they would in a wartime deployment.

“We’re training with our Romanian allies so that we’re better integrated with them in case of future conflict,” Downs says.

The U.S. Air Force stages drills alongside Romanian MiG-21s.Carlo Angerer

“We learn from them and their techniques and tactics, and at the same time, we’re teaching them alongside them with our tactics and techniques, so that we are more integrated with them.”

The training mission also gives U.S. pilots the rare chance to intercept aircraft such as the Romanian MiG-21, a supersonic fighter designed in the former Soviet Union.

“When we’re back home we’re typically used to training against ourselves, we’re always used to seeing F-15s in the air, which is a relatively big fighter,” says Maj. John M. “A MiG-21, which looks different, is quite a bit smaller, always creates a challenge to find them in the sky.”

Carlo Angerer

Carlo Angerer is a multimedia producer and reporter based in Mainz, Germany.